Connors Continues Rally, Advances to Quarterfinals

WIMBLEDON, England —  Jimmy Connors continued his Wimbledon comeback today, rallying from the brink of elimination on Centre Court to beat Sweden’s Mikael Pernfors 1-6, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to the quarterfinals.

The left-hander needed all the skill he has learned in two decades of tennis and all the strength left in his 34-year-old body as he came from two sets down and a 1-4 deficit in the third to win.

After the victory Connors thrust his fists in the air and threw his head back with a roar. He was in the quarterfinals for the 11th time.

Connors is the United States’ final hope in a Grand Slam tournament that started with 41 U.S. men. Not since 1967 has the Wimbledon men’s quarterfinals been without at least one American.

The victory by Connors capped a crowded day in which other highly ranked players struggled.

Three-time women’s champion Chris Evert of the United States and 17-year-old Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina overcame second-set letdowns to advance. Men’s third seed Mats Wilander of Sweden and women’s fifth seed Pam Shriver of the United States rallied to win after dropping first sets.

The top-ranked men’s player in the world, Ivan Lendl, and the defending women’s champion, Martina Navratilova, had no such problems. Both crushed their unseeded opponents in straight sets, Lendl over American Johan Kriek and Navratilova over Gigi Fernandez of Puerto Rico.

Others winning with ease were Steffi Graf and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch of West Germany, Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd of Sweden, Pat Cash and Dianne Balestrat of Australia, Henri Leconte of France and Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia.

The giant-killer of the tournament was eliminated. Peter Doohan of Australia, who ousted defending champion Boris Becker in the second round, lost in straight sets to Slobodan Zivojinovic of Yugoslavia.